Diviner

“Go back where you came from!” Yeager shouted. “We don’t want you here!”

Koren sighed. Ignorance mixed with arrogance made such a foul stew and those who brewed the concoction seemed unable to detect its rancid odor.

Book: Diviner by Bryan Davis, Zondervan Publishers, 2011

Genre: Fantasy

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 13+

Subjects: Faith, Truth, Sacrifice, Righteousness

Summary: Koren has accepted her role as a starlighter and the one who is to raise Exodus again, even with the sacrifice involved, but the people aren’t ready to accept her. They don’t want a starlighter, they don’t want words of truth, and they don’t want freedom. Elyssa has discovered she is a diviner, someone who some of the powers of a starlighter but not all. Her healing powers are great, but to use them to save her loved ones, she may have to sacrifice her very life. Jason is determined to sacrifice his life if a life must be taken. He has determined that it will not be Elyssa or his father or these precious slave children, so loved by their Creator. Axard is becoming sorrier and sorrier for his past decisions – not the decisions to stand against the dragons, but the times he kept quiet, even knowing what sins the others were committing. Cassabrie refused to make the sacrifice to become the one to raise Exodus once, but she won’t make that mistake a second time. Her decision may cost the life of an innocent though. So many lives at stake…. so much still unkown… so many heroes desperately trying to stop the powerful evil… can it ever be enough?

Notes: Throughout this series, the characters have wrestled and wrestled and wrestled with right and wrong. The lines between them have been fuzzy and blurry to the characters. They are characters of big hearts, courageous and willing to lay down their lives if necessary, but the cost may be even higher. In this book, the climax begins to build towards an ultimate battle between Taushin, leading the dragons, and the humans from Darksphere who are attempting to lead the unwilling slaves. More of the past becomes clear and the characters gain a little bit more confidence into what must be done, but the evil will do all it can to destroy all hope. I’m wrestling a bit with the “white dragon” who is supposed to be the “Creator” but who doesn’t seem to have any actual power. It’s like there’s supposed to be an ultimate being, but if it is Alaph, then he’s far from being ultimately powerful thus far into the story. That could change in the next book but for right now he seems like just a dragon with wisdom who understand the past enough to know what needs to be done in the future.

Recommendation Scale: 4.5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 15:13 – Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.